A Look at Factions in the Game

We’re three days into our campaign, and as you can see we’re over 11% funded at this time. This is great news, of course, and we are continuously working on getting the word out about the campaign and to find outlets to increase the campaign’s visibility.

On the other hand, we have not reached the goal to acquire 1,500 backers within the first 48 hours, which would have unlocked the Kickstarter-exclusive cover for the backer editions of the game. We are still almost two hundred or so shy of that, which is really unfortunate, because it had looked so well within reach after the first 24 hours. It appears we are still not reaching enough people out there - certainly not for a lack of trying, I can tell you that, but because so far it has simply not been possible for us to get the majority of US media to cover the launch. Just for those of you who are interested in specifics, we have contacted almost 2,300 gaming media outlets with information about the campaign. That is quite a significant number. But in the end it is up to them to decide, which news bit to give preference to, and not up to us. All we can do is try to get on their radar.

I know, many of you are keen to learn some additional information about the team. Who are the people making this game? And I can definitely understand that desire. We will bring you brief Q&As with all core members of the team shortly to tell you more about who we are, what our expertise is and which games we have worked on in the past. After all, since we are building an old-school style role-playing game here, who better to make it happen than the old guys who actually made them in the first place?

Factions and their role in the game

Today I want to tell you a little about factions in “Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore.” Even though many players seem to look at the game as a pure Dungeon Crawler, which it isn’t, of course. The fact that we have outdoor areas with wide open spaces places it clearly in a different category. Another reason why it is not a mere “Blobber” as some people seem to call it, is the fact that “Deathfire” does not only have an emphasis on the story, but goes even deeper by adding things such as factions.

This particular example showcases the clash between a group of Rat Troopers and an Insectoid race. It is a good example, how factions will play out in the game, as the player will get to meet both parties on his adventures. As in real life, either party has their own version of history, and about what led to the deep rift between these two races. Seeing the heroes’ abilities, naturally, both parties would like to have the players’ characters on their side to support them in their effort to eradicate the other race and claim dominance.

And as in real life, history is always a bit biased, depending on who tells it and how many times it has been relayed. While there’s a grain of truth in the descriptions the player is initially presented with, you will have the opportunity to dig deeper into the subject matter before you make up your mind. In fact, you should dig deeper in order to make an educated decision, because taking sides is not something you should take lightly in the game. The effect can trickle down to other parts of the overall story and can have a tremendous impact on how the overall plot evolves. Not to mention that potentially killing off an entire population of a race should never, ever be taken lightly.

Clan signs of the Rat Troopers and the insectoid Roach People

Another case where factions come into play is, perhaps, a bit more visceral. The initial setup of the story of “Deathfire” revolves around the fact that people disappear from the world, only to reappear later as reanimated corpses. Zombies, to be exact. While the initial momentum for the player will be to find the source of the zombies and stop the flow of the undead, there is a serious ethical and emotional issue to all of this. What, if some of the zombies you encounter are people you knew in their human life? What, if it is your own father, your sister or your soulmate? It is not easy to detach yourself from that emotional connection you have to these people, making it hard to kill them in cold blood. Sure, it may sound easy in theory and looks simple enough in movies, but the question you should ask yourself is, would you be able to kill your own father, and if so, would you be able to get over your initial hesitation fast enough before he kills you?

Now imagine, you meet someone who’s entire life consists of nothing but the killing of zombies - like a mission or religion. A person who has long ago abandoned all emotions and associations to the humans these walking corpses once were. If he requires you to follow suit and indiscriminately kill off every single zombie you encounter, would you do it? What, if there is the potential of salvation? What, if the rumors are true and they have been converted by magic and that by the same magic it might be possible to lift the curse and bring them back to life. Even your loved ones? Would you still be ready to follow without trepidation the instructions of someone you barely know? Would you ever forgive yourself if you cut down you own mother and later learn that you could have prevented it? That you could have saved her?

These examples are meant to show you that “Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore” will put you face to face with situations that will force you to think about the decisions you make. Isn’t that what good role-playing is all about? Or at least, used to be about in the good old days?

At this time I also wanted to point out real quick that we have added “Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore” to Steam’s Greenlight program. You can find the page for the game here, and if you have a minute, feel free to go over there and vote for it, just to help give the project some added visibility.

Shout-Out To Our friends

By the way, for those of you interested in old-school role-playing games, we would also like to let you know about another game you might find interesting. It is called “Lords of Xulima” and it is currently kickstarting here.

More Press Coverage

I have once again put together a list of press outlets that have covered our Kickstarter campaign over the past days. It is a solid list, but consists mostly of German-speaking media.

Comments

i was wondering a little about the zombie setting, but with all the explanations and twists the story can have it sounds quite enriching the game.
sadly the last years were a bit overcrowded from zombie-setting (good ones and bad ones)
but in another view this one could even trigger a huge fanbase.

Guido do you have a clue at this time if the zombie thing is a main part or just one of many sides of Deathfire?

Hey there =) From the Lords of Xulima team, we thank you for the mention and hope that you get everything you need (and more!) for your ambitious project. Personally, I can tell the sheer experience that fleshes out this RPG, and I think 2014 will be an exciting year between new talents and veterans both making great games.
mathieu@numantiangames.com